Apparatus for producing clear ice cubes in a freezer

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed towards apparatuses for producing ice cubes. In particular, embodiments of the present invention are directed to trays for making ice cubes in a manner that allows for ice to be produced with a clear or semi-clear transparency through the elimination of gaseous water during the freezing process.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of both (i) U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/326,990, filed Apr. 25, 2016 and entitled “Apparatusfor Producing Clear Ice Cubes in a Freezer” and (ii) U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/394,472, filed Sep. 14, 2016 and entitled“Apparatus for Producing Clear Ice Cubes in a Freezer”, the entiredisclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed towardsapparatuses for producing ice cubes. In particular, embodiments of thepresent invention are directed to trays for making ice cubes in a mannerthat allows for ice to be produced with a clear or semi-cleartransparency through the elimination of gaseous water during thefreezing process.

BACKGROUND

Commercial ice making machines are typically designed to make highlytransparent ice, whereas most manual ice cube trays used in homefreezers make ice that is cloudy and white. These white, cloudy cubesare not aesthetically pleasing and/or otherwise satisfactory to manyconsumers who are used to transparent ice in their cocktails or otherbeverages.

All currently known clear-ice making apparatuses for the home freezersuffer from some combination of the following flaws: (i) they arecomplex to use, for example often requiring three (3) or moreinterlocking parts; (ii) they require the use of a lid which does notallow the user to monitor freezing progress; (iii) they require a hightotal volume per cube volume in order to combat cube deformation; (iv)they take up considerable freezer space—space that is at a premium inmost home freezers; (v) they do not reliably produce clear ice, whereinthe resulting cubes are not uniformly clear and/or have bulging tops orother extrusions; and (vi) they require precise timing on the part ofthe user, wherein removing the tray from the freezer too early resultsin cubes that have not fully formed and removing the tray too lateresults in cubes may have a number of deformations.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an apparatus for producingclear or semi-clear transparency ice cubes. These and other features andadvantages of the present invention will be explained and will becomeobvious to one skilled in the art through review of the presentapplication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are directed atproviding an apparatus for producing clear or semi-clear transparencyice cubes. Embodiments of the present invention described herein enablethe user to produce trays of substantially transparent ice in their homefreezer. This ice is glass-like in appearance and aesthetically pleasingwhen placed in a beverage. It also has greater purity and takes longerto melt than ice with a visibly significant amount of trapped gasses.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus forproducing ice cubes that are clear or semi-clear in transparency, theapparatus comprising: a tray formed with one or more cube molds, whereineach of the cube molds is configured with one or more holes that permitgaseous water to exit the cube molds of the tray; a base defining a wellthat is adapted to receive the tray and retain liquid water, wherein thetray has a free edge that does not fit closely with a corresponding wallof the well; and an insulating overhang adapted to cover at least aportion of the liquid water in an open area between the free edge of thetray and the corresponding wall of the well.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the insulatingoverhang is a handle for the tray.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the handle isformed integrally with the tray.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the insulatingoverhang is a ledge formed on a rim edge of the well.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the open areaprovides a pressure release.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cube molds haveside walls that are configured with ridges.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the base comprisesone or more insulated walls filled with an insulating material.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the insulated wallsare coated with a durable shell that protects the insulating material.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the tray is formedfrom a flexible material.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the tray has sideedges that are tapered.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the well need notbe more than twice as deep as the tray.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus forproducing ice cubes that are clear or semi-clear in transparency, theapparatus comprising: a tray comprising, a handle that extends from afree edge of the tray and serves as an insulating overhang, and one ormore cube molds configured with one or more holes that permit gaseouswater to exit the cube molds of the tray; and a base defining a wellthat is adapted to receive the tray and retain liquid water, wherein thefree edge of the tray does not fit closely with a corresponding wall ofthe well and the handle covers at least a portion of the liquid water inan open area between the free edge of the tray and the correspondingwall of the well.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus forproducing ice cubes that are clear or semi-clear in transparency, theapparatus comprising: a tray formed with one or more cube molds, whereineach of the cube molds is configured with one or more holes that permitgaseous water to exit cube molds of the tray; and a base comprising, oneor more walls that define a well that is adapted to receive the tray andretain liquid water, wherein the tray has a free edge that does not fitclosely a corresponding wall of the well, and an insulating overhangthat is a ledge formed on a rim edge of one of the walls, wherein in theinsulating overhang is adapted to cover at least a portion of the liquidwater in an open area between the free edge of the tray and thecorresponding wall of the well.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ledge is formedon one of the insulated walls that is more highly insulated than anyother of the insulated walls.

The foregoing summary of the present invention with the preferredembodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.It should be understood and obvious to one skilled in the art that theembodiments of the invention thus described may be further modifiedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of ice cubes that are produced with atraditional ice cube tray, wherein such ice cubes have a cloudyappearance;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of ice cubes produced by the embodiments ofthe present invention, wherein such ice cubes have a transparentappearance;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view an apparatus for producing clearor semi-clear transparency ice cubes, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded side view an apparatus for producing clear orsemi-clear transparency ice cubes, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view an apparatus for producing clear orsemi-clear transparency ice cubes showing the tray partially lifted fromthe base, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view an apparatus for producing clear or semi-cleartransparency ice cubes with the tray inserted into the base, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a zoomed in view of the cube molds of the tray of an apparatusfor producing clear or semi-clear transparency ice cubes, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a zoomed in view showing the cube mold ridges of the tray ofan apparatus for producing clear or semi-clear transparency ice cubes,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9A-C illustrates the freezing process of an apparatus forproducing clear or semi-clear transparency ice cubes, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an illustration of an extruded ice cube;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view an apparatus for producing clearor semi-clear transparency ice cubes wherein the insulating overhang isformed on the base, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view an apparatus for producing clear orsemi-clear transparency ice cubes wherein the insulating overhang isformed on the base, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED SPECIFICATION

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed towardsapparatuses for producing ice cubes. In particular, embodiments of thepresent invention are directed to trays for making ice cubes in a mannerthat allows for ice to be produced with a clear or semi-cleartransparency through the elimination of gaseous water during thefreezing process.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as show in FIGS.3-6, the apparatus 100 comprises two main parts, a tray 101 and a base106. Importantly, the apparatus 100 does not require does not require alid, thereby enabling the user to monitor the freezing process.Embodiments of the apparatus create an entire tray of ice cubes at atime, and can be scaled to provide twelve (12) or more cubes at once.Embodiments of the apparatus could further be scaled to provide anynumber of cubes at once. Embodiments of the present apparatus are smallin relation to the amount of clear ice produced. Embodiments of thepresent invention are further configured to ensure each cube in a batchis substantially clear and undistorted, even in situations in which theapparatus is left in the freezer longer than necessary for the freezingprocess.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as show in FIGS.3-7, the base 106 is an insulated well 107 that is configured toreversibly engage with the tray 101, while the tray 101 is configuredwith one or more cube molds 103, wherein the bottom of each of the cubemolds 103 is formed with one or more holes 104 that allow for gaseouswater to exit the tray 101. Additionally, in some embodiments, as shownby FIG. 8, the cube molds 103 may be formed with ridges 105 at the topof each cube mold 103 that help prevent extrusion of the ice cubes latein the freezing process. In the preferred embodiment, the edges of thetray are configured to fit closely with the walls 109 that define thewell 107 in the base 106. In some embodiments, the one or more of theedges or sides of the tray may be drafted or otherwise tapered in orderto make easier to remove the tray 101 from the base 106 after thefreezing process. However, at least one side of the tray 101 does notfit closely with the corresponding wall on the base 106, thereby leavingan open area 110 between that wall of the base 106 and the free trayedge 111 that will be at least partially occupied by water during theice making process. In the preferred embodiment, the free edge 111 ofthe tray has an integrated handle 102 that extends over the open area110 of water and rests on the rim 114 of the base, acting as both ahandle and an integrated insulating overhang. In some embodiments, thehandle may be removable or otherwise selectively attached to the tray,while in other there may be no handle present. In embodiments where thetray is configured without an insulating overhang, as shown in FIGS. 11and 12, the base 106 of the apparatus will have an insulating overhangformed as a ledge 108 on an rim edge of said well 107 of the base 106such that the ledge 108 projects over the top of the well 107 to coverat least a portion of the open area 110 of water.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the presence of aninsulating overhang, whether integrated as a handle 102 on the tray 101or as a ledge 108 formed on the base 106, enables the production ofclear ice in the tray and helps to guard against possible cubedeformations during the freezing process. In effect, the insulatingoverhang ensures that the water below it, in the open area 110, remainsin a liquid state for a longer period of time than the water in the cubemolds 103 of the tray 101, which are exposed directly to the air in thefreezer. Furthermore, the open area 110 of liquid water below theinsulating overhang acts an escape route for the pressure caused by theexpansion of the water in the tray 101 and base 106 during the freezingprocess. Importantly, the insulating overhang does not need to act as ahandle 102 for the tray 101, whether the handle is fixed or detachable,in order to serve the insulating function. In alternate embodiments ofthe invention, the insulating overhang may be incorporated as a part ofthe base 106, for example as a lip or ledge 108 that extends over theopen area 110 of water in the well 107 of the base 106. As shown inFIGS. 11 and 12, this lip or ledge 108 on the base 106 will generally beformed on the wall that is on the opposite side of the base 106 fromwhere the tray 101 is received. Additionally, the wall on which the lipor ledge 108 is formed may be more highly insulated than the other wallsof the base 106, in further alternate embodiments, the insulatingoverhang may be a separate element that is place over a portion of thewater in order to serve the insulating function.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, clear or semi-clearice can be produced by the apparatus pursuant to the following generalprocedure. First, the apparatus 100 is assembled by placing the tray 101in the well 107 of the base 106. Next, the well 107 is filled with watersuch that the cube molds 103 of the tray 101 are also filled with water.Finally, the entire apparatus 100 is place into a freezer. When thewater in the tray 101 of the apparatus 100 is completely frozen, theapparatus 100 is removed from the freezer. After removing the apparatus100 from the freezer, the tray 101 is separated from the base 106 by theuser by pulling upward on the handle 102 or the edges of the tray. Indoing so, any ice formed in the small holes 104 in the bottom of thecube molds 103 (and therefore possibly connecting the ice in the cubemolds with any ice formed in the well below the molds) easily breaks toallow the tray 101 and base 106 to be separated. Once the tray 101 hasbeen separated from the base 106, the user can more easily remove theclear ice cubes from the tray 101.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the base 106 ismade from a highly insulating material. In a preferred embodiment, theinsulated walls 109 define the well 107 of the base 106 are thinlyconstructed, with the insulating material of the insulated walls 109having an R-value of 6 or more per inch. For example, the walls 109 mayincorporate two-pound per cubic foot polyurethane or polyethyleneclosed-cell foam. In some embodiments, the foam may be encased in a thinhard plastic or other durable shell, while in other embodiments the foammay be bare. For the sake of clarity, any insulating material may beused as long as it has a sufficiently high R-value per inch. In thepreferred embodiment, any of the walls 109 of the base 106 may beinsulated, including the bottom of the base and/or any of the sidewalls. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there arenumerous insulating materials and thicknesses that could be used withembodiments of the present invention, and embodiments of the presentinvention are contemplated for use with any appropriate materials andthicknesses.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the base 106 has anopen well 107 into which the tray 101 fits. In preferred embodiments ofthe present invention, the well 107 in the base 106 need not be morethan twice as deep as the tray 101 itself. Alternative embodiments mayhave deeper bases, depending on need, form and function of the specificembodiments. For example, with a respect to a base that is configured tobe used with two different trays, when the relatively shallower tray isused in the base, the well will inherently be more than twice as deep asthe shallower tray.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the well 107 of thebase 106 may be drafted inward such that the opening of the well 107 isslightly wider than the bottom of the well 107. In a preferredembodiment, the draft is a two stage draft, wherein the first stage ofthe draft (on the upper wall area of the well 107) has a more gradualangle than the second stage of the draft (at the lower wall area of thewell 107). This two stage draft serves a functional purpose in that, ifthe tray 101 is left in the well 107 until all of the water in the base106 is frozen, then the expansion pressure caused by the ice will liftthe entire tray 101 upward a small amount without causing any distortionto the ice in the cube molds 103 (as the cubes are already formed andfrozen) and without causing any bulging or distortions to the base 106itself.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the tray 101 ismade from a food-safe flexible material, such as silicone, so that thetray can be more easily separated from the base 106 after the freezingprocess. Furthermore, any handle 102 formed as a part of the tray 101may also be formed from the same flexible material. In particular,having a flexible handle 102 that can bend into a vertical positionand/or stretch as it is pulled, as well as having a tray 101 withflexible sides, enables a user to pull the tray 101 away from thesurrounding ice more easily. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the base 106 is configured to receive trays with variousarrangements of cube molds. In particular, the opening of the well 107of the base 106 has a defined area that corresponds to the area of thetray 101, while leaving a sufficient amount of open space 110 betweenone edge of the tray and the corresponding wall of the base. However,within the defined area defined by the borders of the tray 101, theremay be various arrangements of cube molds 103. As an illustrativeexample, the base 106 may configured to receive a tray 101 that isconfigured to produce six (6) two (2) inch cubes, which would be moresuitable for wide drinking glasses, or a separate tray that isconfigured to produce twelve (12) one and quarter (1¼) inch cubes, whichwould be more suitable for narrow drinking glasses. In a preferredembodiment of the present invention, the cube molds 103 of each tray 101define the space in which the ice cubes are formed as the water freezes.Alternative embodiments of the trays may have any suitable arrangementand number of cube molds. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldappreciate that there are numerous materials that could be used for thetray, and embodiments of the present invention are contemplated for usewith any appropriate material.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown by FIGS.3-6, the tray is configured with a handle 102 that functions as aninsulating overhang on one side of the tray 101. In a preferredembodiment, the insulating overhang sits above the open area 110 of thesurface of the water when the apparatus is properly filled prior tofreezing. In a preferred embodiment, the insulating overhang also actsas a handle 102 to ease the removal of the tray 101.

According to a preferred method of use of embodiments of the apparatusdescribed herein, the following steps, as shown by FIGS. 9A-C, are takento produce clear or semi-clear transparency ice cubes (as shown by FIG.2). First, the entire apparatus 100 is assembled by inserting the tray101 into the base 106 and the well 107 of the base 106 is filled withwater until the surface of the water is even with the tops of the cubemolds 103 in the tray 101. The entire apparatus 100 is then placed intoa freezer. While in the freezer, the water first begins to freeze at theair interface at the exposed top surface 113 of the water, which iseffectively the water in the cube molds of the tray. In particular, theinsulating overhang 112 (whether as handle 102 on the tray 101, at therim on an edge of the well of the base, or otherwise), together with theinsulating material in the walls 109 of the base 106, causes the waterunder the overhang 112 (or handle 102) and at the deeper portions of thewell 107 to freeze more slowly than that water in the cube molds 103.Furthermore, gaseous water moves downward, through the small holes inthe tray, out of the cube molds 103 and into the unfrozen volume ofwater below as the water in the cube molds 103 freezes.

As the water at and below the exposed surface 113 of the air/waterinterface begins to freeze as ice, and therefore expand, the pressure onthe remaining unfrozen water below increases. The water under theinsulating overhang 112 (or handle 102) remains unfrozen for some timeafter water of equal depth in the cube molds 103 of the tray 101 hasfrozen. This unfrozen water in the open area 110 provides a route out ofthe base 106 for the liquid water that has been pressurized by theongoing ice formation that is occurring in the cube molds 103 of thetray 101. In particular, the insulating overhang 112 feature (whether ashandle 102 on the tray 101, at the rim on an edge of the base, orotherwise) allows for a water pressure release without causing any cubeclouding (see FIG. 1 for prior art ice) or deformations that wouldotherwise occur if the pressure was forced back through the water in thecube molds 103, as would occur in traditional ice cube trays. In somecases, as the water continues to freeze, the expanding ice causes thepressure to increase such that the water is forced out between theinsulating overhang 112 and the rim 114 of the base 106.

Without the insulating overhang 112, the water under pressure in thebase may be forced through the small holes 104 in any one of the cubemolds 103, thereby causing the cube to be pushed upwards and resultingin an oddly tall, extruded, cloudy cube 115 (as shown by FIG. 10).Similarly, without the insulating overhang 112, the water under pressurecould be forced back through the small holes 104 in any one of the cubemolds 103, flow between the frozen cube and the mold sides, andeventually reach the top of the cubes where it is exposed to cold airand freezes causing a deformed cloudy dome on top of the already formed,and otherwise clear, cubes.

Additionally, the use of an insulating overhang also eliminates the needfor a third part in the form of a lid that would be used to seal the topof the tray in order to keep cubes from becoming deformed by escapingwater. There are many drawbacks to using a lid, the first of which isthat a lid inhibits the user's ability to monitor the freezing process.Additionally, attaching a lid can cause the water pressure to remain inthe base, which can lead to deformation of the base and/or forcing thewater to escape between inner walls of the base and the outer walls ofthe tray, thereby causing an overflow situation.

Another benefit created by the insulating overhang features is that inenables the use of a base that has a smaller and shallower well.Previously, a larger well in the base was necessary to provide morespace to spread out the pressure caused by the ice forming process. Inparticular, a larger well, which inherently has a greater amount of wallspace and water volume in the well, can flex and absorb deformationswithout forcing the pressurized water up through the tray. However, asthe insulating overhang also provides a pressure release feature, it ispossible to use space saving, shallower configuration for the well inthe base because there is no need to account for an area to diffuse thepressure generated during the freezing process.

A further advantage of this apparatus and the insulating overhang isthat it is more forgiving in the production of clear ice. In particular,the design allows the user to leave the apparatus in the freezer forlonger than required, whether on purpose or by accident, and stillobtain ice cubes without cloudy tops or other deformations. In normaluse, the tray is preferably removed from the base when the water in thecube molds is completely frozen, but the water below the tray in thewell of the base is liquid. This is the preferred method simply due tothe fact the tray is easiest to remove from the base just after thewater in the molds has completely frozen. However, even if the apparatusis left in the freezer until more of the total water volume is frozen,the ice cubes will not be distorted. This is because the insulatingoverhang feature allows pressurized water to escape late into thefreezing process, therefore preventing late-stage cube extrusion,deformation, or cloudiness resulting from the unpredictable escape ofpressurized water.

It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may beemployed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize,even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-knowncomponents may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure theembodiments.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis detailed description. The invention is capable of myriadmodifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddescriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and notrestrictive.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for producing ice cubes that areclear or semi-clear in transparency, said apparatus comprising: a trayformed with one or more cube molds, wherein each of said cube molds isconfigured with one or more holes that permit gaseous water to exit saidcube molds of said tray; a base defining a well that is adapted toreceive said tray and retain liquid water, wherein said tray has a freeedge that does not fit closely with a corresponding wall of said well;and an insulating overhang adapted to cover at least a portion of saidliquid water in an open area between said free edge of said tray andsaid corresponding wall of said well.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said insulating overhang is a handle for said tray.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein said handle is formed integrally with saidtray.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said insulating overhang is aledge formed on a rim edge of said well.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said open area provides a pressure release.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said cube molds have side walls that are configuredwith ridges.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said base comprisesone or more insulated walls filled with an insulating material.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein said insulated walls are coated with adurable shell that protects said insulating material.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein said tray is formed from a flexible material. 10.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said tray has side edges that aretapered.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said well need not bemore than twice as deep as said tray.
 12. An apparatus for producing icecubes that are clear or semi-clear in transparency, said apparatuscomprising: a tray comprising, a handle that extends from a free edge ofsaid tray and serves as an insulating overhang, and one or more cubemolds configured with one or more holes that permit gaseous water toexit said cube molds of said tray; and a base defining a well that isadapted to receive said tray and retain liquid water, wherein said freeedge of said tray does not fit closely with a corresponding wall of saidwell and said handle covers at least a portion of said liquid water inan open area between said free edge of said tray and said correspondingwall of said well.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said open areaprovides a pressure release.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein saidcube molds have side walls that are configured with ridges.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 12, wherein said tray is formed from a flexiblematerial.
 16. An apparatus for producing ice cubes that are clear orsemi-clear in transparency, said apparatus comprising: a tray formedwith one or more cube molds, wherein each of said cube molds isconfigured with one or more holes that permit gaseous water to exit cubemolds of said tray; and a base comprising, one or more walls that definea well that is adapted to receive said tray and retain liquid water,wherein said tray has a free edge that does not fit closely acorresponding wall of said well, and an insulating overhang that is aledge formed on a rim edge of one of said walls, wherein in saidinsulating overhang is adapted to cover at least a portion of saidliquid water in an open area between said free edge of said tray andsaid corresponding wall of said well.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein said open area provides a pressure release.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein said cube molds have side walls that are configuredwith ridges.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said base comprisesone or more insulated walls filled with an insulating material.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 19, wherein said ledge is formed on one of saidinsulated walls that is more highly insulated than any other of saidinsulated walls.